Android Marshmallow (Android 6.0) is now available to update for specific devices. For the moment it’s available for the Nexus 5, 6, 7 and 9. As for other devices, the date Marshmallow will be available for those is yet to be announced – these dates are dependent on the device manufacturers themselves like Samsung, Sony and HTC for example.

But for the lucky Nexus owners, what are some of the new features are available to them with Android Marshmallow?

Originally set for release on September 16th, the latest watchOS was delayed at the last minute due to a bug. From September 21st, watchOS 2 has been available for download. Here we’ll look at some of the new features.

Apple released the latest iOS on September 16th. As of today, a week later, iOS 9 has been installed on 52% of devices. This is the fastest adoption rate of all the iOS releases so far. Let’s look at some of the best new features it has to offer.

With 1.5 million apps already in Apple’s App Store, it can be difficult to make your app stand out from the rest of the competition. It can be easy to feel that without the big marketing budgets of the major app distributors, your app will simply pass by unnoticed and join the pile of forgotten apps swept to the back of the App Store.

User experience, or UX as it’s become affectionately known, is a buzz word we’ve heard a lot this year. UX has become a key factor online, often dictating the success of brands and entire campaigns. So what can you do to ensure that you are delivering the smoothest UX to customers and why is it important?

Computers are being replaced by mobile devices – traditional PC sales are declining

As we move further into the digital age, it’s becoming very apparent that apps are not only here for the long haul, but conceivably, they could now be here to stay. Apps make our lives easier to manage and open doors to faster means of procuring everything, from the latest music to the most popular books. If you are a reputable brand online, chances are you have a branded app used for further developing your client base, managing a process or selling more products.

Here’s a an interesting thought for you. The modern smartphone is now 7 years old.

7 years is not a long time, especially when you consider what has been achieved and how far we have come since then. Smartphones are now on par with the computing power of a desktop computer. And even though they are getting sleeker and thinner than their earlier models, manufacturers are still managing to increase their computational abilities year after year.

So you’ve just installed iOS 8. It’s fair to say that it’s been an interesting release and one that’s lead to both positive and negative feedback (as with most) and in turn the platform, and its many features have provided plenty of ground for discussion in the Fivestar office!

As seasoned Apple fans and product lovers, we admit that we are slightly biased, but that being said, we appreciate that it hasn’t been for everyone. So what has fundamentally changed? Well, not as much as the transition from iOS 6 to iOS 7. But there has been a lot of refinement, improvement and user experience focused change to the design and operation of the platform and indeed, particular apps. Apple have provided a full run down of all the new features on their website, but in our own summary, here are our 3 favourite features of the new iOS.

Process optimisation is all about exactly that. Speeding up your internal processes exponentially to generate higher end results and maximise efficiency.

It could be as simple as a quotation platform for workers to access on site and send new business orders or quotations direct back to the office. Or maybe a HR app designed to help improve efficiency and increase overall understanding and coherence during health and safety events, evacuations etc.